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Comprehensive Immigration Report No. 185

City of Clarkston Announces Limited Cooperation with ICE. The City of Clarkston, GA has announced a policy of not arresting or detaining anyone based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests called “detainers” or “administrative immigration warrants.” Click here for more information. While not calling itself a “sanctuary city,” please note that because of ICE’s authority to take immigration violators into custody, those in Clarkston should be careful in relying on the city’s policy.

Problems with the Atlanta Immigration Court. The Emory University School of Law and Southern Poverty Law Center are calling for an investigation into the Atlanta-based federal immigration court, alleging discrimination and hostility on the part of some judges. According to their findings, the Atlanta Immigration Court denies asylum at the highest rate of any immigration court – 98 percent. Also, the average bond set by its judges is typically 41 percent higher than the national average ($8,200 versus $11,637). These are good reasons why anyone going before these courts should retain a qualified immigration attorney.

CLINIC Convening. Anyone (particularly legal service providers) interested in learning more about immigration law or further developing their skills in this area are encouraged to attend the Catholic Legal Immigration Network annual convening in Atlanta May 24-26, 2017 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. This is an extraordinary event for all skill and interest levels.

ICYMI – Justice for Immigrants (JFI) Resources. JFI has developed new video resources regarding ways to prepare yourself and your family for encounters with immigration enforcement authorities. In addition to the “Know Your Rights” videos JFI launched in February, there are two new mobile-friendly videos (both in English and Spanish) on Preparing Your Family and Connecting with your Community. All of these videos are housed on the JFI website’s video resources page. In addition to the videos, JFI still has resources on its website that deal with Enforcement at Sensitive Locations, Ways to Protect Yourself, advocacy and more. If you have any questions about the videos or to obtain copies, please contact MRS Communications Manager Mark Priceman (mpriceman@usccb.org).